Chapter 6

A/N: This is the second longest fan fiction story that I have currently o.O Also, if I get any other reviews, I'll have a reviewer recognition at the end of the chapter.

Disclaimer: I own none of the InuYasha characters. I only manipulate their actions in the stories that I write.

When I awoke, I felt a familiar, and unfamiliar, burning in my midsection. The familiar burning wasn't really quite a burning sensation, but more of a sign telling me that I was in heat.

Great, I thought as I rolled my eyes behind my eyelids. I was in heat and I was going to be traveling with Sesshomaru for who knows how long. This was definitely going to be interesting.

I sighed silently and opened my eyes, realizing that I was in an upright position. I figured out quickly that I was in someone's lap. I put two and two together when I looked down at the arms that were encircling me tightly. I was sitting in Sesshomaru's lap! My face heated so much I thought that I might faint from it. I took a few deep breaths and calmed myself down, smiling slightly to myself when I felt his deep even breathing come out slow and smooth, his nose buried in a bunch of my hair that had gathered at the nape of my neck.

I smiled more to myself than to anything else. I heard him murmur my name and felt his arms tighten slightly around me, holding me safely in his protective embrace.

We stayed like that until the sun rose to its mid-morning position, the beams of sunlight filtering through the small window above us. I felt his breathing begin to regulate as he slowly awoke from his slumber. I felt his lips curve into a smile against my skin before I head him speak.

"How much longer are you going to pretend to be asleep, Rin?" He asked in a whispery question.

I sighed inwardly, knowing that I could never fool his ears. I smiled slightly, softly, opening my eyes and squinting at the bright sunlight. I was about to speak when I heard soft footfall on the wooden floor.

"Ah, good, you're awake." The healer said as he stepped into the room. "You were out for a couple days now."

Suddenly, the unfamiliar burning intensified, and I would have doubled over if not for Sesshomaru's arms holding me tightly. I must have let out a small noise in pain because I head Sesshomaru growl in a threatening manner at the healer. The healer just simply chuckled.

"Do not worry, Sesshomaru-sama, it is merely a minor side-effect of the antidote. It should only last for a few minutes." He explained to Sesshomaru.

By the time the pain had dissipated enough for me to move, Sesshomaru's grip had loosened enough for me to slip out of his embrace unnoticed, crawling over to my futon, pulling the blankets up to my nose as soon as I was under them.

When I managed to sneak a look at Sesshomaru, I noticed the tell-tale glaze in his eyes. I felt like I wanted to just slip through a crack in the floor and disappear because the glaze in his eyes was a sure sign that he'd noticed that I was in heat.

"S-so when exactly am I able to go outside?" I asked, feeling Sesshomaru's eyes close in on me.

"By mid-day tomorrow, at the least, but I'd still recommend another day of rest without traveling." The healer said looking over at Sesshomaru.

"We will leave at mid-day tomorrow. I have another estate that is about three days' travel from here." Sesshomaru said, his voice commanding no argument.

"Alright, fine by me, the sooner the better." I said, wanting to escape the cramped confinements of the hut as soon as possible.

"Lady Rin, if you are to leave tomorrow you must rest up as much as you can," the healer advised, tucking the blankets tightly around me. "And as for you, Sesshomaru-Sama, I must speak with Lady Rin alone so it would be best if you waited outside."

Sesshomaru gave the healer a long quiet look before stepping outside, a regal air of authority following behind him.

The healer looked down at me and smiled before he spoke softly. "By the way you have been acting, my dear, I would have to say that you are in heat, and Sesshomaru-sama has learned this as well."

"How did you know?" I asked since humans normally couldn't tell these things, even if they had exceptional powers in healing or if they were a monk.

"I know this because of my own wife." He said, patting my hand tenderly.

"Really?" I asked, becoming more and more interested with every passing moment.

"Yes. Before she disappeared, she would often hide in this very hut. Whenever she was in heat, she would secretly come here. One day, I got up enough courage to follow her here. The reason why she would hide away here was because she thought that I might be repulsed by the fact that she was in heat. When I told her that I was not repulsed, she began to act much differently around me." He said with a chuckle and a sigh.

"What happened to her?" I asked, my curiosity growing more and more with each passing moment.

"Unfortunately, I do not know. Soon after our son had been born, she disappeared with no trace left for me to follow." He said solemnly.

"So, she was a demon, right?" I asked, becoming deeply engrossed in the tale of the healers past.

"Yes, she was. It also makes my son a half-demon, though he is not a dog type demon, like you or Sesshomaru." He told me, his voice following his mind to the far-off land of memory.

"So, if she wasn't a dog demon, then that means me, Sesshomaru, and his brother, the only ones left of the great dog demon race." I wondered, murmuring to myself.

The healer smiled to himself before he spoke. "You are correct. You, Sesshomaru-sama, and Inuyasha-sama, are the only remaining dog demons left. Now, you need to rest if you are to lave tomorrow. You have a long journey ahead of you."

I nodded and closed my eyes, hearing the healer retrieve Sesshomaru before I drifted off to the land of dreams.

A/N: I've been working a lot on my fan fiction stories lately. I also found, rewrote, and posted my "Spitfire" fan fiction story. I appreciate any and all reviews.